David R. Taylor III

1949 - 2016

(News story) David R. Taylor III, a longtime Toledo lawyer and a past president of the Toledo branch of the NAACP who early in his career was chief referee of Lucas County Domestic Relations Court, died Sunday in Hospice of Northwest Ohio, South Detroit Avenue. He was 66.

He had congestive heart failure, his wife, Mary, said. He retired from his law practice in 2015.

Mr. Taylor was admitted to the Ohio Bar in April, 1976, but was in the spotlight most frequently during his two-year term as president of the local NAACP, 1996-98. He'd moved through the ranks the previous six years, serving in turn as third, second, and first vice president.

"For me, the NAACP is a labor of love," Mr. Taylor told The Blade in December, 1998, before his final annual meeting as president. "You don't get paid, so it has to be a labor of love."

The Toledo branch was recognized nationally during his tenure for its success in building membership, said Theresa M. Gabriel, a former president of the branch.

"He had a very pleasant personality and was very knowledgeable," said Ms. Gabriel, a member of Toledo City Council, "and he enjoyed helping people."

The branch played host to a regional leadership and training conference in 1998, the first such meeting in Toledo in about 40 years. The focus was to be on the civil rights organization's future. Mr. Taylor had no doubt on the direction it should take.

"To me the new frontier in civil rights has to be economic development," Mr. Taylor told The Blade. "We have to make our dollar do quadruple duty in our community. The business of civil rights has become so sophisticated. You cannot be a dinosaur."

As he looked back on his term, he said a highlight was the NAACP's role in monitoring a conflict between the Toledo school board and the Toledo Federation of Teachers over an elementary principal who was African-American. A complaint by the branch led a U.S. Justice Department investigator to look into practices of the Ottawa Hills police department. He also called for the University of Toledo police department to scrutinize how officers treated black students and drivers.

When he felt there was injustice, he fought it, his wife said. Whether in his law practice or with the NAACP, he recognized all sides.

"David was gifted in that area, ... being able to see both sides and work it out so everybody would feel comfortable walking away from the table," his wife said.

Born Dec. 17, 1949, to Shirley and David R. Taylor II, he grew up in North Toledo and was a graduate of Woodward High School. He majored in political science at the University of Toledo and, after he received his bachelor's degree, was encouraged by his maternal grandfather, I.B. Swan, to study law.

"He always enjoyed politics and was very bright," his wife said. "His grandfather encouraged him to follow his heart, and that's where it was."

He was a 1999 inductee into the Woodward High hall of fame, recognized for being the first African-American referee in Lucas County juvenile court and the first African-American chief referee in Lucas County domestic relations court.

He later became a partner in a law firm, handling primarily civil, domestic relations, and family cases. He'd been active in the Thurgood Marshall Law Association and served as a special counsel to the Ohio attorney general.

He was a member of 50 Men and Women.

At his church, Friendship Baptist, he taught Bible classes - and taught others to teach.

"He was a gifted teacher of the Bible," his wife said. "He wanted to make sure he used the spiritual gifts he was given."

He and his wife liked to travel, especially to warm climates, and he was a Detroit Tigers fan.

"He would yell at the TV when they would lose," his wife said.

Surviving are his wife, Mary, whom he married Dec. 12, 1987; sons, Davon, Evan, and Antoine Taylor; daughter, Renesa Taylor; stepdaughters, Stacee and Courtnee Carrigan; brother, James Hart, and three grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 4-6 p.m. Sunday in the House of Day Funeral Service. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday in Cornerstone Church, Maumee, where a wake will begin at 10 a.m.

This is a news story by Mark Zaborney. Contact him at: mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.